Rotary oil-pump.



T. BELL.

ROTARY OIL PUMP, APPLICATION FILED 05c. 12. 1916.

1359304. Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

THOMAS BELL, OF SIBBALD, ALBERTA, CANADA.

ROTARY OIL-PUMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented ar. 12, 1918.

Application filed December 12, 1916. Serial No. 186,548.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS BELL, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing will enable other's skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in rotary pumps or engines, and has for itsobject to provide a device of this character which embodies novel features of construction whereby the pistons travel in an annular raceway or continuous cylinder, and always move in the same direction, thereby avoiding any reciprocating action, the pistons being adapted either to be acted upon by a fluid pressure medium to produce motion, or to act as a pump upon some fluid medium.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a device of this character which is comparatively simple and inexpensive in its construction, which is dependable and eiiicient in its action, which provides for discharging the oil or other material being operated upon successively through a serles of outlets, and which will utilize the energy expanded upon the same in the most eifective manner, since the pistons always travel in the same direction and do not have a reciprocating action.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel combinations and arrangements of the parts as will more fully ap ear as the description proceeds, the nove features thereof being pointed out in the appended claims. I

For a full understanding of the invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in

, which Referring to the drawings, which illustrate one embodiment of the invention, the reference character A designates the pump casing, said casing including a ring 1 and a pan of end plates 2 and 3 which are rigidly secured to opposite edges of the ring by suitable fastenin members such as the bolts 4, packlng 5 being interposed between the ring and the end plates for the purpose of obtainmg tight joints. The pump casing A may rest upon and be secured to a suitable base or block B. One side of the ring 1 is provided with an interior enlargement 1 which has an annular groove in the edge thereof, sald groove cotiperating with a similar groove In a corresponding enlarged edge portion 3 of the end plate 3 to form an annular raceway. 6. This raceway 6 is circular in cross section and forms in eflect a continuous cylinder, the inner periphery of the raceway communicating through a slot 7 with the interior of the pump casing A.

A pair of pistons C and D are mounted within the annular raceway or continuous pump cylinder 6, said pistons being identical in construction and being each provided with piston rings 8 and lateral projections 9 which extend into the slot 7 to hold the pistons against rotation. Each of the pistons carries a Substantially U-shaped detent 10, the arms of which are offset laterally and terminate in noses 10 which are adapted to engage seats 11 in the walls of the raceway 6 for the purpose of locking the pistons in a fixed posltion. A spring 12 acts upon each of the detents 10 and normally tends to force it outwardly into operative position. In the operation of the pump one of the pistons is thus locked in position to form a cylinder head, while the other piston is moved around the annular raceway for coiiperation with the fixed piston to act upon the fluid within the raceway or cylinder.

A drum 13 is arranged within the pump casing A, said drum being keyed upon or otherwise made rigid with a transverse shaft 14 which extends axially through the pump casing and is journaled within the end plates 2 and 3. The periphery of the drum 13 is provided at one side thereof with a cam 15, while the opposite end thereof extends across the mouth of the annular slot 7 which leads to the raceway or continuous pump 16 which engage the interior of the pum project through suitable stutfing boxes 27 casing on o posite sides of the slot an into the interior of the pump casing and serve to pro me a tight joint to prevent the escape-of oil or the like from the racewa or ump c linder through the said slot.

ra ially mounted withinthe drum .13, the outerend thereof extending into the slot and be ng adapted to be pro ected into a side opening 18 in one of the pistons. When thus projected into the side opening 18 of a piston,

the plunger 17 engages the detent '10 of the said piston and forces it inwardly against the spring 12 into inoperative position, thereby both releasing the ing it to rotate with the drum. .The inner end of the plunger 17 is extended laterally at 17- and carries a roller 19 which travels within an annular groove20 in the end plate 3, the upper portion of the groove being provided with a rentrant cam portion 20. The arrangement of this groove is such that the plunger 17 is projected into operative position at all times during the rotation of the drum 13, except when the plunger reaches the top of the drum and the roller 19 is brought into engagement with the reentrant cam portion 20 of the cam 20. The plunger 17 is then automatically retracted from engagement with one of the pistons and pro ected into engagement with the other piston. The piston which is thus released will be forced around by the action of the fluid within the raceway, or prnnp cylinder until the detent 10 thereof springs into engagement with the seats 11, whereupon the pistons will be locked against movement and held in exactly the proper position for engagement with the plunger 17 when the latter is again acted upon by the cam portion 20 of the groove 20.

An inlet pipe 21 communicates with the raceway 6 at a point just in advance of the locked piston, as indicated by Fig. 2, so that as soon as the piston is released and moved beyond the inlet, oil will be drawn into the annular raceway back of the piston at the same time that the oil in front of the piston is expelled through the various outlet-s. A conventional form of check valve 22 is shown as applied to the inlet for closing the same at all times except when oil is being drawn through the same. A series of lateral outlet passages 23 are formed in the ring 1 and communicate at intervals with" the raceway or pump 'cylmder 6. Each of these transverse outlet passages communicates with a radial, outlet pipe 24 which is applied to the ring 1, such communication being controlled by a valve 25, and these valves being successively opened so that the oil is successively discharged or expelled through the various outlet pipes. In the resent instance the valves 25'are carried y radially extending valve stems 26 which sposedplunger 17 is slidably piston and lockterminate in rollers 28 which are arranged valves as the drum 13 is rotated. This cam 15 is of such a length that one of the valves 25 is always in an open position, thereb providing for discharging the oil at al times during the action of the pump,

Any suitable means may be provided for driving the drum 13, although in the present instance this is accomplished by means of a lever 30 which is loose upon'one end of the shaft 14 and adapted to be connected to some reciprocating element. This lever. 30 carries a pawl 31 which cooperates with a ratchet wheel 32 rigid with the shaft 14 to produce an intermittent rotation of'the drum 13 as the lever 30 is reciprocated back and forth. As has been previously explained, i

the rotation of the drum 13 results in alternately moving each of the pistons within the annular raceway 6 against the opposite piston as a cylin er head, so that oil is first drawn into the raceway and then expelled from the same through the various outlet P g avmg thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letcylinder for engagement with either oneof the pistons, and a roller at the inner end of the plunger for engagement with the cam groove at the side ofthe casing for moving the plunger as the drum rotates and causing the plunger to alternately engage each piston and move it around the cylinder against the opposite piston as a cylinder head.

ion

2.A rotary pump including a casing formed with an annular race-way which provides a continuous pump cylinder, the said race-way having a slot in one side thereof, a pair of pistons mounted within the race-way, spring latch members carried b the pistons for locking them in a fixed position, a drum mounted within the casing and extending across the slot, a radial plunger carried by the drum and adapted to be projected through the slot into engagement with the latch vmembers of either piston to release the latch members and lock the piston with the drum, and cam means acting upon the plunger for causing it to alternately engage each piston and move it around the continuous cylinder against the opposite piston as a cylinder head.

3. A rotary pump including a casing formed with an annular raceway which provides a continuous pump cylinder, a series of outlets being provided which communicate at intervals with the annular raceway, valves for the several outlets, a pair of pistons mounted within the raceway, a rotary member mounted upon the casing, means ac tuated by the rotary member for alternately moving each piston around the raceway against the opposite piston as a cylinder head, and means actuated by the rotary member for successively opening the outlet valves.

' 4. A rotary pump .including a casing formed with an annular raceway which provides a continuous pump cylinder, an annular slot being provided upon one side of the raceway and lateral outlet passages communicating at intervals with the raceway, valves controlling the discharge through the lateral outlet passages, a drum mounted within the casing and extending across the before mentioned slot, packing means upon the drum for engaging the casing on opposite sides of the slot, a pair of pistons mounted within the raceway, latch means for locking the pistons in a fixed position, a cam actuated plunger carried by the drum and adapted to be projected through the slot into engagement with the pistons for alternately unlocking each piston and moving it around the raceway against the opposite piston as a cylinder head, and cam means upon the drum for successively opening the outlet valves.

5. A rotary pum including a casing formed with an an ar raceway which provides a continuous pump cylinder, said race-' way communicating with the interior of the cylinder through an annular slot and provided with a latch seat, a pair of pistons mounted within the raceway, spring latch members carried by the pistons and arranged to automatically engage the before mentioned latch seat to lock either of the pistons in a fixed position, a drum mounted within the casing and extending across the slot, packing means upon the drum for engaging the casing on opposite sides of the slot, a radial plunger carried by the drum and adapted to be projected through the slot into engagement with either of the pistons to move the spring detent thereof into inoperative position and lock the piston with the drum, and cam means acting upon the plunger to retract it at each revolution of the drum and again project it into engagement with that one of the pistons which was previously locked.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS BELL.

Witnesses JOHN J. MULLANEY, PATRICK F. MULLANEY. 

